Cries of the Dead
by PaBurke
Summary: A little something to bring back the balance.
1. Chapter 1

Cries of the Dead

By PaBurke

Pairing Buffy Summers/ Wash (Firefly)

Disclaimer: Not mine

Spoiler: Just after the movie.

Word Count: 1200

"Is it drafty in here, or is it just me?" Mal asked the doctor idly.

Simon answered seriously. "Kaylee assures me that there's nothing wrong with Serenity. Her hull is secure and intact."

"So it's not just me?"

Simon shook his head. "Even River's mentioned it… in a River-like way."

Mal smirked. "So she might have been commenting on a leaf falling from some tree on the Core Planets?"

Simon couldn't argue. River still had her good and her bad days.

_Wash nearly screamed in frustration. He took a swing at Mal, but his arm sailed through the man. He was so angry. They couldn't hear him. They couldn't see him. They could only barely feel him and that was only if he tried really hard. He had thought that River would be able to communicate with him and pass messages but she only seemed confused when he was near. Out of safety for the crew of Serenity, Wash stayed away from River as she was piloting._

"_You're dead," the girl said again._

"_Then why isn't Book here?" Wash argued._

"_His job, his life was completed. He accepted the end."_

"_And mine wasn't. So let me go back!"_

"_I can't do that. Neither can you. We're dead."_

_Wash stomped over to the girl who had been by his side since he had woken up in the pilot's chair with a log through his chest. He towered over the blonde girl but she showed no fear… it wasn't as if he could kill her. "I wasn't done. My Lambkin wanted a baby and I kept putting her off. Zoë needs me."_

"_She'll grieve and move on."_

"_She's hurting! She's not eating! And her aim is off!" How many times had he sat by his wife's side and tried to hold her as she sobbed alone._

"_You are dead. It's time to move on."_

_Wash finally realized something. "You haven't. And I know you don't belong with this ship."_

"_No I don't, but I belong no where else."_

"_You're talking in riddles. If you can't help me go back, than go away."_

"_I'm sorry," and she really did sound regretful. "I hated the riddles when I was alive too."_

"_Can you help me?"_

"_You are dead," Buffy insisted. "The cost of going back would be too great. Two people would die. It could be Zoë and then where would you be?"_

_Wash blanched at the horrible thought._

_Buffy grinned. "And now you are white as a ghost."_

"_Very funny."_

"_Hey, I have to get my giggles somewhere."_

_Wash floated through the ship until his found his love. Zoë was in their bunk. She wasn't currently crying –someone might hear her now. She reached out and touched his pillow. Wash reached out to touch her._

_Buffy sighed. "We can give her a memory. It's a one time deal."_

"_I'll take it!"_

"_It'll have to be while she's sleeping."_

"_Okay."_

_Buffy started to float away. Wash followed. "What are we going to do? Do we have to prepare or plan… or prepare? What's going to happen?"_

"_You'll get one last night together."_

Mal noticed the difference immediately. Zoë had a half-smile on her face. Her shoulders were relaxed and she was humming very, very softly. The clincher was when Zoë actually sat down to eat. He watched her eat a full meal and then some. He exchanged a relieved glance with Simon; the doctor had been worried about how little food the woman had been consuming.

It couldn't last.

And it didn't. Zoë was overcome with grief often the next few days and weeks, but she stopped avoiding the cockpit. She ate most of her meals with the rest of the crew. She even cracked a couple jokes at Jayne's expense; wry, dry words like Wash used too. She didn't smile yet, but Mal was hopeful. He knew that she slept sometimes in the kitchen, but if she was really sleeping, Mal wasn't going to mention it to anyone.

But most of the crew knew. River knew; the girl knew most every secret. Simon knew and he relaxed a little with the knowledge that Zoë _was_ sleeping some. The doctor had probably told Kaylee so that the mechanic would not worry as much. Jayne was oblivious.

With Zoë working her way through the grieving process, Mal was supremely surprised when she passed out in the middle of reporting a contact.

She just passed out. One moment she was standing there, the next she was on the floor.

"Simon!"

"SIMON!"

The doctor appeared almost immediately. He checked her pulse and did a couple other doctory things. Apparently satisfied, he ordered Mal to help him get Zoë to the infirmary. Once there, Simon checked Zoë's body top to bottom. The second time he tripped over Mal, he kicked the captain out. His argument that he would accomplish more without Mal's interference rang too true. So Mal hovered outside the closed door. Kaylee, Jayne and River hovered with him. Though Jayne would never admit it, he didn't want to lose another crew member any more than anyone else.

"Oh," River said suddenly. She smiled. "The memory was of more substance than he knew."

Kaylee smiled softly. If River said that it was good-ish, than she believed the crazy girl. Even the men relaxed slightly. Inside the infirmary, Simon broke something under Zoë's nose and she came to, swinging. She caught Simon in the jaw and the doc went flying.

"That's Zoë," Mal murmured. The rest of the crew snickered.

Zoë was upright and slightly confused about being in the infirmary. She was also apologetic about slugging the doctor.

Simon waved her off and made her sit down again. Then he took her by the shoulders and told her something. Zoë turned white again. Mal was already half-way into the infirmary (much to Simon's consternation) when Zoë started crying (which worried Mal even more).

"Zoë?" Mal asked carefully. "What's wrong?"

Zoë couldn't catch her breath to answer.

"Doctor?"

Simon shook his head. "Doctor-patient confidentiality."

"That means nothing when it concerns my crew," Mal argued.

"She's pregnant," River declared as Zoë said, "I'm pregnant, sir."

"Oh." Mal could think of nothing more to say.

Kaylee squealed in joy. Jayne was not pleased. "Oh hell, just what we need to make this a nursery ship. How are we going to complete missions with a baby?"

It was a serious and a good question but Mal had his eyes trained on Zoë. She positively glowed with the news.

"I can almost hear Wash shouting the news, can't you?"

Zoë touched her own belly in awe. "Yes sir, I can."

"_Baby! Baby! Baby! My Lambkin's having a baby!" Wash was running around the ship yelling and screaming. He tried to dance with Kaylee, but he couldn't touch her, so he grabbed up his mysterious ghost helper and danced with her instead._

"_Baby! Baby! Baby! My Lambkin's having a baby!"_

_Buffy laughed at him. "So now that that's done, we can go now."_

_Wash stepped back in horror. "Absolutely not!" He reached for the nearest part of Serenity and held on tight. "I can't leave now! I have to see what happens next!"_


	2. Chapter 2

Cries of the Dead II

By PaBurke

Cross: BtVS/Firefly

Disclaimer: Not mine, especially not the poem. That's Emily Dickenson's.

Spoiler: Just after the movie. Sequel to 'Cries of the Dead.' This was one of the last stories that I thought I'd be continuing.

Word Count: 1300

"Mal," Simon caught up with the captain just outside of the kitchen and then led them both away.

Mal worried a bit. Simon wanted to talk to him privately. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I hope." At Mal's glare, Simon corrected himself. "I think. I… just want to be prepared. I was wondering if we could do another hospital job."

"Why?" They had kept to the safer jobs since everyone had found out about the new baby, but they sure could use the cash of a med-vault job. Was it worth the risk?

"St. Gabriel's is on the nearest Core planet and they have the best neo-natal facility in the 'Verse. We could stop, get some meds to sell and stock up on OB/GYN meds and I could download all of their research." Simon looked flustered. "I want to be prepared for anything."

Simon was exhibiting more fear and uncertainty now than when someone was bleeding. "I'll talk to Zoë about it."

Simon's eyes bulged. "Don't tell her that I'm worried."

Mal snorted. "You also want to restock on River's meds."

"Of course. That was going to be on the list. Some day, I'd like to rescan River's brain to see if my theories of healing are true, but now is not that time."

"'Sides, I need my pilot driving the ambulance."

Wash watched River do his job. She was a genius, but he wanted to help. He noticed little things that could be improved. Then River fixed the timing coil and the paint job of the junkyard ambulance and Wash was feeling useless. Kaylee put together the engines with her normal faultless instinct. He watched as Simon coached Zoë and Mal on the medical terms that they might or might not need. Wash had missed this entertainment last time. Oh, he had known that Zoë had been beyond frustrated, but she was determined. He loved watching the lessons. She wasn't about to let a little morning sickness slow her down for the last job she'd pull before the baby was born.

_Wash had a little talk with the unborn baby. He asked his Lit'l Lamb to be gentle on her momma. Anything to make Zoë's life easier. Wash wasn't sure if the Lit'l Lamb understood, but the morning sickness eased._

_Buffy wasn't around much. She seemed to be following Jayne around, whispering in his ear. It was then that Wash found out that Jayne had betrayed them last time. He hoped that Mal knew. He listened as Jayne practically begged to be the one put under, to be one of the ones unconscious, vulnerable. Jayne felt guilty and he didn't want anyone and especially not Mal to not trust him._

_River said that Jayne should be put under and then he could protect Simon when they woke up. River knew and with the way that Simon nodded in agreement, the doctor knew too. They had forgiven Jayne. Was Wash the only one who was just now finding out about Jayne's involvement in the Ariel debacle? No. Zoë and Kaylee were looking confused._

Buffy insisted that they ride the ambulance with the crew doing the job. Wash really didn't want to distract River from piloting, but Buffy said that it would be good. When they landed, Zoë and Mal pulled the gurneys of Jayne and Simon into the hospital. They pushed right next to an older man that reminded Wash of Shepherd Book. It was more than his coloring and stature that was similar, it was the way that he held his body and the knowing look in his eyes. Wash wondered why Mal and Zoë ignored him.

_Then Buffy walked up to the man. "Hey Gabe."_

"_Slayer. It's been a while." They clasped forearms like warrior-allies. Gabe looked at Wash. "Who's this?"_

"_Wash. He's married to one of the crew. Wash, this is a friend and the resident ghost of the hospital, Gabe."_

_Wash shook hands with the man. He wondered how many ghosts were there and did Buffy know all of them?_

"_We've got work to do," Buffy reminded them._

_Gabe nodded. "I'll show you where Wash can stand to disrupt the computers as your doc hacks the system. A ghost would cause enough problems that would be a priority and an obvious problem for those monitoring the system."_

_Wash followed the two other ghosts to a computer interface._

"_Just stick your hand in there and move it around every once in a while," Gabe instructed._

_Wash obeyed. Then Gabe and Buffy started walking away. "Where are you going?" he called after them._

_Buffy walked backwards as she answered. "We're going to cause problems to protect the others. I'll be back for you when it's time to go."_

Mal had no idea why this job seemed to be charmed when every other job fell apart at the seams. They were in and no one had questioned them beyond what they had prepared for. This time they did have to use some of the vocabulary that Simon had drilled into their heads again. Mal knew then that this was a higher class of hospital than the one in Ariel. River had been muttering about Simon belonging here and Mal couldn't argue. Simon offered the same excellent quality of care whether in a hospital, a whorehouse, or on Serenity. Mal had done the smart thing in giving the Tam siblings a refuge, way back when.

Another door malfunctioned behind them, blocking them from anyone who gave them a second look.

Seriously, this job was going too smoothly.

He and Zoë turned right and then made two lefts. The med-vault was right in front of them. This time their ID cards scanned right in. No need for the ID that Mal had lifted off some doctor on their way. The empty gurneys were quickly filled of all the medicines Mal and Zoë had written down. Two short minutes later, they were steering the gurneys out of the hospital and to the waiting ambulance. River was there, which was even better.

She was sad, but she speaking to Kaylee waiting back at the ship. River had promised to do so when she agreed to the job. They couldn't afford for River to go off the rails when she was alone… and their ride out.

It seemed like River was quoting something. "We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess – in the Ring – We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain – We passed the Setting Sun – Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity -"

"River?" Mal asked.

She wasn't done. "We slowly drove – He knew no haste And I had put away My Labor and my leisure too, For His Civility."

Zoë glanced at him. "Simon and Jayne are on their way," she reported.

River started up the engine, murmuring all the while. "Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me -"

Mal grabbed the crazy girl's shoulder. "River, you need to concentrate. You need to fly all of us out of here."

Simon and Jayne jumped aboard. No one was following. Still River waited. Mal was milliseconds from pushing the girl out of the pilot's seat.

"River," Simon pleaded. His voice jolted her.

The girl lifted off. Her serious disposition blurred with a smile. "The Carriage held but just Ourselves – And Immortality." She didn't quote anymore and she flew back to Serenity as smoothly as if it were Wash driving.

Mal figured that she had finished her poem.

River patted his arm when they landed. "All aboard, capt'n."

"Then get us into atmo."

She nodded, still muttering softly.

Mal and the rest of the crew breathed a sigh of relief when the Black surrounded them once again.

*


End file.
